There’s something to be said for karma. Just days after banishing husband and uncle, Gil Lock, from the very handicapping column founded to feature his expertise, Jill and Pad Lock suffered through their worst weekend of the season. Jill, who had been rolling along at a two to one clip, turned in an oh for three stinker; her first of the year. Nephew Pad didn’t fare much better; registering just a single win. Realizing they had ticked off the football gods by mistreating Gil just before the start of the all important Bowl Season, they decided to correct the situation and invite Gil back to the team.

“We never felt right about firing Gil”, said his wife, Jill. “I mean, he’s a sports handicapper. It’s what he does. What else is he going to do, work in a supermarket? He had a bad stretch and we overreacted.” Pad echoed the sentiment, saying, “Uncle Gil has always been good to me. I hated to let him go but Aunt Jill wanted to protect her record. Not much to protect now, I guess.”

Gil, while overjoyed at the news, was still feeling a little low after some personal misadventures took their toll. “I’ve been pulled over a number of times by Jersey State Troopers because I look like the guy who punched Snookie on Jersey Shore. They usually notice I’m not the guy after I form a few complete sentences but, the last time, I got in over my head.” “I have a buddy who’s a guido”, said Gil, “and this cop pulls me over with him in the car.” “He takes one look at Phil’s hair gel and general, torpedo demeanor and assumes he’s ‘The Situation'”, Gil continued. “I tried to explain that Phil’s nickname is, actually, ‘The Altercation’ and that the officer was mistaken; but he wasn’t buying.” “Finally, the cop, knowing that the real ‘Situation’ has six-pack abs, asked Phil to roll up his sleeveless tee.” “As soon as he saw that Phil’s six-pack was actually a half keg, he let us go.” Asked if he harbored any ill will toward his wife and nephew, Gil was gracious. “Nah. I’m just happy to be back.” And, with that, here’s how the Locks see the Bowl Season:

Locks of the Week(s)

Before we get to their individual selections, we present the Locks’ consensus picks along with this insight from Gil: “The Big Ten is as overrated a conference as I’ve ever seen, yet, they get two BCS bids and two New Year’s games. Now try and tell me the system doesn’t need to be changed.” “We at Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers have no confidence in any Big Ten teams or coaches, especially Penn State and Paterno, and have decided to pick against every one of them.”